Colt Case Ingersoll Garden Tractors

I don’t mean to get you guys up north riled up since some of you are still getting the white stuff, but it’s time to plan for the gardens!

I did a soil test on my garden spot and as I thought it was pretty low on nitrogen and phosphorus. I decided to go ahead and get some fertilizer on it now and disc it in even though I won’t be planting for about a month and a half yet. I drug my old spike tooth harrow around just to break up the crust and put a good amount on.

Good time to get another tractor ready for the season! All greased up gases up and aired up time to get on the seat. I went ahead and did the sunflower patch too. I think this year I might add some of the taller varieties you guys planted last season. Between the fertilizer and what little compost I had I hope it helps some, I guess it sure couldn’t hurt! While I had the disc out I went ahead and worked up the bare spots that I tore up clearing honeysuckle and planted some grass seed.
Supposed to get some rain tomorrow so that should take it in ground.

Thanks for the tour. Harry

Glad to see somebody is getting play in the garden . The one nice thing about the weather not allowing us to do the same is that it gives me some of the time lost too snow-blowing to get stuff done before garden season starts up here .

Nice! I too have been spending some time (very little) with garden related duties. I have planted about 45 fruit trees, and over 100 raspberry plants. The trees I got from a grower: apple, prune, cherry, sour cherry, pear, peach, persimon, apricot, quince, and medlar. Even a walnut and a couple of hazelnut trees. I don't see myself doing a garden this year being too busy with the house reno, but I didn't want to lose a year in the life of the fruit trees that we really want to have for the future of the kids. I've got to come up with a watering solution for all the trees. And to find time to share with you guys what happened so far. I've been really really busy with the move and we moved again, closer to the property so I can work on the house.

@Eugen Great to here for you. Glad you are busy with the renos . I hope you be able to move in by the end of summer . What do you think you time line is for that ?

Eugen wrote: ↑Thu Mar 27, 2025 6:42 pm Nice! I too have been spending some time (very little) with garden related duties. I have planted about 45 fruit trees, and over 100 raspberry plants. The trees I got from a grower: apple, prune, cherry, sour cherry, pear, peach, persimon, apricot, quince, and medlar. Even a walnut and a couple of hazelnut trees. I don't see myself doing a garden this year being too busy with the house reno, but I didn't want to lose a year in the life of the fruit trees that we really want to have for the future of the kids. I've got to come up with a watering solution for all the trees. And to find time to share with you guys what happened so far. I've been really really busy with the move and we moved again, closer to the property so I can work on the house.

Fruit trees are something I’ve wanted to plant too. It’s one of those projects I just haven’t got to. Not sure I ever will! The best solution on watering I’ve come up with so far is hauling water which I don’t really like. If I ever do it I’ll have to more thought into watering.

Looking forward to hearing more about your adventures!

I always liked fruit trees myself. I planted some dwarf varieties 30 years ago and they never grew very well. A farmer who lived a few miles away told me they don't do good because of the hard pan clay soil. The tap root can’t break through the blue gray clay. I thought about it recently and wondered if I took a post hole digger and went down about four feet then filled it with top soil and planted the tree over it would that help? That’s my ramble for the morning. Harry

I have a few fruit trees my father put in, plus a couple left from the original owners...
Most don't produce much, but then I also don't do all the spraying that they would require. It would be nice to get some of the older variety that just produced, without being high maintenance. Might be ugly, but ugly is better than nothing.

As for walnuts... I've got several black walnut trees. Good producers to be sure, but they are a pain... Of note they put out toxins in the ground to keep other trees, and vegetation from growing under their canopy. I don't know if any of the other walnut species do that. My only comparison was a couple english walnuts we had, and the ground under one of them was never great, but the other had no issues growing grass underneath...

This is a thread to tree planting April 2021 viewtopic.php?f=10&t=89&p=540&hilit=trees#p540 These are the same trees 4 years laterThey were planted in 2 foot deep holes and backfilled to 1 foot. Watered 4 times the first year by filling the holes to running over then walking away. The holes were square to prevent the roots form balling, they are forced to punch through the corners. They were not fertilized at planting or anytime after. This was a method learned from a neighbor that plants for Ducks Unlimited. The hillside is mostly sand and conventional planting always failed.

Wow there coming along! They’ll make a nice wind break when they get a little taller.

Trees are looking terrific Spike. Thanks for posting the progress. Harry

Three times I have tried to propagate these green giant arborvitae trees. Finally I had some survive that I started a year ago. I’m going to start more now but on a larger scale and eventually plant a hedgerow of them. I’m also going to prepare a nursery area in my backyard to transplant the seedlings I have started. I’ve learned a few things by failing twice before. They say three times tge trick. First I believe the rooting hormone that I used last year gave me better results. It was a gel instead if a powder that I had used before. Secondly I believe by starting them in a group next to each other in the same box is better. Thirdly I watched a few you tube video’s and the planting medium they used was ground up wood chips. I used a mixture of ground up wood chips some peat moss and sand. I gave them a drink if water every so often last summer, but also had them against the west wall of my lean to. So they didn’t get full sun to dry out. I must admit they are quite hardy because I left them out all winter ling and most survived. You can see a few that browned out in the pic, but most are still green. Harry

Sadly I haven't posted all the stuff I've been doing, as I've been really stressed with the lack of time. However, I need to change that, so here are some pics from the last 2 weeks,related to the garden.

@Eugen That is a bit bigger garden than in past years. Someone will be busy this summer.

@Eugen Looking Great ! - That does look like a little bigger garden than you had in Canada, will your Kubota be able to handle farm work, or will you be adding a "farm" tractor to your fleet?
Looking forward to more photos when you have the time

@Eugen \that is a beautiful back drop to that garden . Big garden = big work and most important big reward at harvest time .
Are you set up to do canning , drying ,and cold storing your harvest ? What all do they do over there ?

@Eugen Your pictures got me thinking. A lot of the pioneers that came here from Europe so long ago looked to settle in a spot that reminded them of home. That place you have sure looks like the valleys around here! Quite a beautiful view! Hope everything grows well!

Eugen, looking terrific thanks for the pics. Harry

I planted our sunflowers today. This year I put in 6 different verities. I mixed them in as I went along so what grows where will be a surprise!
The verities are Perdoveic, American giant, Cutting gold, Mammoth grey, Autumn beauty, and Mammoth Russian.

I hope we get a good stand like we did last year. Im looking forward to see them come up!

JSinMO wrote: ↑Tue May 06, 2025 7:07 pm I planted our sunflowers today. This year I put in 6 different verities. I mixed them in as I went along so what grows where will be a surprise!
The verities are Perdoveic, American giant, Cutting gold, Mammoth grey, Autumn beauty, and Mammoth Russian.

I hope we get a good stand like we did last year. Im looking forward to see them come up!
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I was going to ask what varieties you were going to grow, but now I know. Harry

Well the 2025 garden is all planted! Can’t wait to see how the old weed patch does this year! My garden always looks the best when I plant it and then agin when I plow it under!

RoamingGnome wrote: ↑Thu May 01, 2025 9:44 am @Eugen Looking Great ! - That does look like a little bigger garden than you had in Canada, will your Kubota be able to handle farm work, or will you be adding a "farm" tractor to your fleet?
Looking forward to more photos when you have the time

All I can say is that I got the urge to get a "farm" tractor. An old one, of course, but they seem to start around 3-4k here, even in bad shape. My MH33 would've been great here.

DavidBarkey wrote: ↑Thu May 01, 2025 5:18 pm @Eugen \that is a beautiful back drop to that garden . Big garden = big work and most important big reward at harvest time .
Are you set up to do canning , drying ,and cold storing your harvest ? What all do they do over there ?

We're not set up for anything Dave, not yet. People do some canning here, but mostly jams. They seem to freeze veggies, and also pickle.

JSinMO wrote: ↑Sun May 11, 2025 12:14 am
My garden always looks the best when I plant it and then again when I plow it under!

Yes, I'm stealing this line because it applies exactly to my situation.

In true fashion with my past, I'm biting more than I can chew comfortably and the do my best to keep up.

Temperatures here have been quite high and little precipitation in the last 2 weeks. So I must water the tomatoes, cucumbers, and pepper plants manually. Of course I want to set up a dripping irrigation system, but time is a little short.

This I have done as a break from the pick hammer.

I have a 120 gallon tank in a JD 80 dump cart for watering the more remote chestnut tree seedlings... Fortunately this year I've only had to do so once. Usually the 444 gets assigned that duty. Loaded up, it's a pretty good load back there.

@Eugen be the mother of invention . or something like that . You do what you got to do and in time the modern conveniences will come . How is the house coming along .

DavidBarkey wrote: ↑Fri Jun 13, 2025 5:47 pm @Eugen be the mother of invention . or something like that . You do what you got to do and in time the modern conveniences will come . How is the house coming along .

I've had a little progress, the rooms have had the concrete floor poured, I'll post a thread on that. There still a lot to do.

Eugen wrote: ↑Fri Jun 13, 2025 8:10 pm

DavidBarkey wrote: ↑Fri Jun 13, 2025 5:47 pm @Eugen be the mother of invention . or something like that . You do what you got to do and in time the modern conveniences will come . How is the house coming along .

I've had a little progress, the rooms have had the concrete floor poured, I'll post a thread on that. There still a lot to do.

You seen our place , But you did not see it before 5 years of renovations . It takes time to do it all yourself .

Eugen wrote: ↑Fri Jun 13, 2025 7:26 am In true fashion with my past, I'm biting more than I can chew comfortably and the do my best to keep up.

Temperatures here have been quite high and little precipitation in the last 2 weeks. So I must water the tomatoes, cucumbers, and pepper plants manually. Of course I want to set up a dripping irrigation system, but time is a little short.

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This I have done as a break from the pick hammer.

That sounds like the kind of weather we had last year. Hot and dry almost no rain. What a difference this year is. So far it won’t dry out. I have a lot to do in the garden but I just don’t see the point of being out in the mud.

I tried a similar setup to water my garden last year but I wasn’t happy with the gravity water flow. If I do that again I’m thinking I might try a small transfer pump.

Well fellas, how does your garden grow?

Down this way we’re into the tomatoes, pepper, beans, peas, zucchini, okra, cucumbers. Looks like the first wave of corn will be ready soon! If the raccoons don’t get it!
Sunflowers are really looking good too! How are you all doing?

Sunflowers look great. The kids and I planted 30 sunflowers indoors in pots a bit late. We transferred them to holes I dug and they were eaten within days. The deer also mowed down my hosta and tiger lilies a bit too. I'm not sure if the deer, rabbits or the ground hog ate the sunflowers. I'm on the fence about replanting and putting up a fence. The kids has fun...

The weather this spring was kept going from one extreme to another . Too wet and windy to too hot and dry . Some stuff like corn just didn't do well at all this year , others like potatoes are doing well , onion have rebounded , garlic is ready to be harvested and looks good ,squash is doing ok , tomatoes have rebounded , ants killed of most of the brockly and cauliflower , cabbage is doing well . I will try and get pics.

@JSinMO looking good down there

Pumpkin garden doing well, Irish Spring boys keeping the deer at bay. Sunflowers, most the deer ate for breakfast. Corn had a late start, not looking well at all. Harry